20 U-M scientists and engineers named AAAS Fellows

The University of Michigan led the nation with 20 faculty members elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science during FY 2022. Among the U-M researchers are 564 scientists, engineers and innovators spanning 24 scientific disciplines recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements. The newly elected AAAS fellows include: Veera Baladandayuthapani, Gordon Belot, Charles Burant, Henriette Elvang, Rachel Goldman, Mats Ljungman, George Mashour, Sofia Merajver, David Musch, Melanie Diane Ohi, Ling Qi, Patricia Ann Reuter-Lorenz, Patrick Schloss, Roseanne Sension, Susan Shore, Katherine Spindler, Stephan Taylor, John Voorhees, Patricia Wittkopp and Bing Ye.

Five U-M faculty named Guggenheim Fellows

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation recently announced 180 winners of the prestigious fellowship, awarded annually for distinguished achievement in the past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment. Winners from LSA are: Giorgio Bertellini, professor of film, television, and media, and of romance languages and literatures; Bénédicte Boisseron, professor of Afroamerican and African studies, and of romance languages and literatures; Katherine French, J. Frederick Hoffman Professor of Medieval and Early Modern English History, and professor of history and of women’s and gender studies; Daniel Hack, professor of English language and literature; and Valerie Ann Kivelson, Thomas N. Tentler Collegiate Professor of History, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, and professor of history. The fellowship allows recipients to pursue a project for six to 12 months, without conditions, in natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and the creative arts.

American Academy of Arts and Sciences recognizes five faculty

Five University of Michigan faculty members have been named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for their significant contributions in scholarly and professional fields. Among this year’s election of 261 new members are U-M professors: Nicholas Kotov, the Irving Langmuir Distinguished University Professor of Chemical Sciences and Engineering; Khaled Mattawa, the William Wilhartz Professor of English Language and Literature; Vonnie McLoyd, the Ewart A. C. Thomas Collegiate Professor of Psychology; and Sijue Wu, the Robert W. and Lynn H. Browne Professor of Science and professor of mathematics in LSA.

Chinnaiyan awarded Sjöberg Prize for cancer research

Arul M. Chinnaiyan, the S.P. Hicks Professor of Pathology and Urology at Michigan Medicine, was awarded the prestigious 2022 Sjöberg Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which also awards Nobel Prizes. Chinnaiyan has been honored for the discovery of recurrent gene fusions in prostate cancer, a groundbreaking finding initially published in 2005 that has led to a better understanding of how prostate cancer develops and improved methods to detect the disease. He was presented with the award at a ceremony in Sweden in June.

Pharmacology Chair Lori Isom elected to National Academy of Medicine

Lori Isom, chair of the Medical School’s Department of Pharmacology, was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors for a clinician and scientist. Isom is the Maurice H. Seevers Collegiate Professor of Pharmacology and professor of molecular and integrative physiology, and of neurology. She has served as director of the Program in Biomedical Sciences and assistant dean for graduate education in the Medical School.

Two U-M faculty elected to National Academy of Sciences

Two University of Michigan professors were among the most recent inductees into the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest distinctions for a scientist or engineer in the United States. U-M inductees include: Vincent Hutchings, University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor; the Hanes Walton Jr. Collegiate Professor of Political Science and Afroamerican and African Studies and professor of political science, LSA; and research professor, Institute for Social Research’s Center for Political Studies. Also inducted was Ivette Perfecto, the James E. Crowfoot Collegiate Professor of Environmental Justice and professor of environment and sustainability, School for Environment and Sustainability, and professor of environment in the Program in the Environment, SEAS and LSA.

LSA faculty member wins Sloan Fellowship for Representation

A University of Michigan mathematician was one of 118 early-career researchers selected to receive a 2022 Sloan Research Fellowship. Charlotte Chan, assistant professor of mathematics in LSA, was awarded the fellowship for her work in representation theory, the study of symmetries using linear algebra. Awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955, the fellowships honor extraordinary U.S. and Canadian researchers whose creativity, innovation and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of leaders. More than 1,000 researchers are nominated each year for 118 fellowship slots. Winners receive a two-year, $75,000 fellowship that can be used flexibly to advance the fellow’s research.

U-M tops public universities for Fulbright student awards

University of Michigan students and faculty scholars were offered 25 Fulbright grants for the 2021–22 academic year. The university is among the top Fulbright-producing institutions in the country. The grants, one of the U.S. government’s most prestigious awards, have been offered to fund the research of 18 U-M students, the most among public universities, and seven faculty scholars overseas for up to 12 months.

LSA senior named Rhodes Scholar

University of Michigan student Rachael Merritt was named a 2022 Rhodes Scholar, one of 32 Americans chosen to win scholarships to Oxford University. A senior in LSA double majoring in Russian and international studies, Merritt, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the 30th U-M Rhodes Scholar since the awards were established in 1902. At Oxford, she intends to enroll in the master’s program in Russian and Eastern European studies, followed by a master’s degree in social science of the internet. The Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world.

C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital ranked No. 1 children’s hospital in Michigan by U.S. News & World Report

C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, part of Michigan Medicine, was recognized among the nation’s best in cardiology and heart surgery, cancer, nephrology, orthopedics, neurology and neurosurgery, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, pulmonology, urology and diabetes and endocrinology in the 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings released in June. The hospital’s highest ranking was in pediatric cardiology and heart surgery, ranking 10th in the country. The Mott Congenital Heart Center, an international referral center for children with complex congenital heart problems, is one of the largest congenital heart programs in the U.S.

CMS Awards UMH Prestigious Five-Star Quality Rating

University of Michigan Health (UMH) received the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) highest possible quality designation — a five-star ranking—in the agency’s most recent release of its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings. UMH is the clinical division of Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan. Of the hospitals evaluated in Michigan, only 18 received this prestigious five-star ranking. Chelsea Hospital, a joint venture between UMH and Trinity Health was also on the list of five-star hospitals. The ranking designation evaluates hospitals on five key domains of health care performance: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience and timely and effective care.

U-M Honored with C. Everett Koop National Health Award for Workplace Well-being

The University of Michigan was recognized as a national leader in workplace well-being during FY 2022 with the C. Everett Koop National Health Award. Since 2006, MHealthy has led U-M’s employee health and well-being programs and services, working closely with university leadership to create a culture that supports all the dimensions of well-being. Each year, more than 20,000 employees participate in MHealthy programs and more than 450 currently volunteer as MHealthy Champions in their departments. To be considered for the award, winners are required to document results, both in terms of health improvement and economic impact.

University wins Zero-Waste Award in national competition

The University of Michigan was a top-ranked university in the 2022 Campus Race to Zero Waste competition. U-M placed first in the large-campus division for zero waste, which is for campuses with advanced waste-reduction programs, zero-waste plans and policies in place and the ability to weigh sources of waste and materials collected for reuse. The university tracked all sources of waste generated in three campus buildings during an eight-week period, aiming for the highest diversion rate by recycling, composting and reusing items to reduce the amount sent to the landfill. The U-M buildings competing in the zero-waste category were: Art and Architecture Building, Biomedical Science Research Building, and Bursley Hall.